Two Notes on The NYTimes

NYT strikes me as being a little breathless about Iranian plans for investment and development aid in Iraq. These plans were negotiated by two Iraqi prime ministers, Ibrahim Jaafari and Nuri al-Maliki on trips to Iran where wreaths were laid on the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini. They were reported on at length at the time of those visits, and there is nothing new here. As for American officials, when asked about such plans in the past, they said that they hoped Iraq would have good relations with all its neighbors and understood that there would be economic relations with Iran. I can’t see what the big crisis is. By the way, the Iranians are building an airport at Najaf to bring in the Shiite pilgrims, too.

I felt this article was a little over the top, actually, but hey, they gotta sell papers, right?

However, there is this less than positive news out of Iraq:

Sabrina Tavernise of the NYT says goodbye to Iraq and to any illusions she might have had. She’s done a great job there, and has illumined the situation for us in a clear-eyed way. She also told us more about the situation of women and families than most other reporters.

You have to wonder whether Iraq can any longer be reported on in any ordinary sense of the word.

I wonder how reporters do it every day. They certainly deserve our respect and have mine.

Sean Paul Kelley

…first one yesterday. Knew that I’d seen it go by but for the life of me couldn’t recall where. And, yeah, I agree with Juan on that element.

“At this moment, therefore, two distinct myths emerged, fuelled by the trauma of a shared experience and amplified by the existence of a hungry mass media eager to disseminate images of the world’s first televised revolution.” – Ali Ansari